REGIONAL VICTORIA

Rural Victoria

JONATHAN CHANCELLOR

Greener pastures

City dwellers seeking a change of pace are heading to the hills and regional towns

32 MANSIONAUSTRALIA.COM.AU V Victoria’s extended coastline has long ranked as the most sought-after location luring residents away from Melbourne. But post pandemic there’s been competition from the greener inland regions and bustling boomtime towns outside of the city that are seeing unprecedented demand. Indeed, properties in regional Victoria saw a 7 per cent price spurt in the first quarter of 2021. CoreLogic ranked it as the best regional performer across the country, and it also outperformed all the capital cities, including Melbourne with its 4.9 per cent quarterly growth. Terry Ryder, from website Hotspotting, says the big upswing is occurring throughout regional Victoria. He noted the shift was already under way given the decade or so of technological adjustment but the abrupt changes to the workplace during the pandemic had seen an acceleration in the trend. Ray White Rural Victoria general manager Jason Hellyer says there are key buyer types, especially metropolitan retirees who are selling the family home in a rising market and using part of the proceeds to buy a regional home as well as increase their super balances. There are also high net worth families who are asset and cash rich and set on securing a prestige regional lifestyle property, coastal or country, that will be useful should Melburnians find themselves in another extended lockdown. There are also many metropolitan, middle-class full-time professionals securing a regional property with a view to permanent relocation in the future. Hellyer says that interest in owning a hobby farm is also increasingly a factor. “The thought of open space, coupled with the ability to potentially live off-grid and grow your own food is of interest to many.” Hobby farms are also being transformed into the boutique production of low-yield, high-quality organic food and beverages, “or simply the establishment of an Airbnb business”. Hellyer calculated that the statewide regional sales volume was around 15,000 compared with the final quarter of 2020 at 12,000, so volume was up around 24 per cent. “When you consider Melbourne’s median is now sitting around $1 million, if you’re selling in Melbourne and buying in regional Victoria, with a median of $500,000 you’ve got plenty of funds to secure something substantial and/or surplus funds for a significant renovation,” Hellyer says. He calculated the residential median for sales up to 4ha sat at $712,500 in the Yarra Ranges Shire; at $870,000 in the Mornington Peninsula; at $588,000 in Greater Geelong City and in the Macedon Ranges Shire at $724,000. The cheapest of the six shires adjoining Melbourne were Mitchell at $480,000 and Murrindindi at $435,000. The most obvious demand has been for localities within a two-hour drive of the CBD that previously catered mainly for the premium weekender market but have now pivoted to more semi-permanent owners. Helen Sankey at RT Edgar Gisborne says most of her recent buyers have sold their properties in the city. “Gisborne is the first regional town out of the metropolitan area, and very appealing to families seeking to raise their children, feel safe and enjoy the country lifestyle,” she says. “We have beautiful homes and properties that, once the buyers sell in the metro areas, are affordable and they have money left over.” “Our projected population growth is the highest in the Macedon Ranges Shire because we are at the southern end of the Shire, closest to the city, along the Calder Highway and along the Melbourne Bendigo train line,” Sankey says. “I often ponder whether our crazy busy real estate market after the ‘ring of steel’

Above, from left: Benloch property and its living area; Cloverdel, Station Road, Woodend Left: The cottage at Cathlaw; interior and exterior of the listing at Redesdale Right: Cloverdel, Woodend

lifted has been due to the backlog caused by the lockdowns and the fear of another metro lockdown, the new opportunities for working from home, and our proximity to the city via the highway or the train, or a combination of all these.”

Gisborne’s latest premium listing is Cathlaw, a threebedroom Indian bungalow style residence with classic verandas on 12ha with an original avenue of oaks and separate twobedroom cottage, north-south lawn tennis court, and vegetable garden. It comes with a $5.5 million asking price – five times the district’s $1.1 million upper-quartile median price.

Ryder sees the shift as “the exodus to affordable lifestyle”.

“It’s been led over the past three to four years by regional Victoria, with key markets pumped up by buyers out of Melbourne, first Geelong and Ballarat, then Bendigo, the towns of Cardinia Shire [Pakenham and Officer] and in the Latrobe Valley [Traralgon, Morwell, Moe]. Now it has spread further afield to Warrnambool, Mildura, Shepparton and Wodonga.”

He notes that in mid-2020 it looked like Geelong and Ballarat had peaked but they’ve had a second wave.

Ryder notes it has been well reported that the Mornington Peninsula on the southern fringe of Melbourne was a natural beneficiary of the trend, with a broad range of price points. And he warns buyers to be careful that the locations they are targeting have solid credentials for sustainable growth. “At the moment it feels like you could throw a dart at a map and you would get good growth this year, but buyers need to consider the longer term, after the current boom has run out of steam.”

Jellis Craig Woodend agent Tom May says lifestyle properties in the Macedon Ranges area, around 60km northwest of Melbourne, are 20 per cent pricier over the past year, with 10 per cent of that coming in the first quarter of 2021.

May says stock levels are starting to dwindle, with days on market decreasing moving into an early winter cycle.

He recently secured the sale of Cloverdel, a near 3ha estate at Woodend. The classic autumnal property with century-old willows sold for $3.03 million at auction last month, well above its $2.5 million guide. There were six interested parties, split between intending to use it as a family home or as semi- permanent or a weekender. None wanted to keep it going as a wedding venue.

“We are seeing the sub-40 age bracket with high incomes who have access to inexpensive debt competing well against the over-55 market with a larger asset base who have historically influenced the market,” May says. He has a listing at Benloch near Lancefield. Designed in 2004 by local Marcus Roberts Architect, the three-bedroom residence features an open plan living and dining area with Cheminées Philippe fireplace. Flanked by a wide deck, it was built on 8725sq m with mature gardens. There’s a pinot gris plantation set away from the home. The asking price is between $1.2 million and $1.3 million.

A listing at Redesdale, midway between Bendigo and Kyneton around 115km from Melbourne, has potential for more than just a weekender. The 97ha estate overlooking the Campaspe River comes with a 1000-vine vineyard and cellar door, 150 olive trees and a grazing area. Ray White Kyneton agents Helen Jens and Nathanial Briggs are seeking $2.95 million for the property.

Mike Day, a partner at town planners Hatch RobertsDay, notes the latest trends might see an end to the problem of the mass exodus of younger people to the city. But he warns that it is important for country towns to maintain their character in the face of newcomers from the city.

“Regional residents are closely connected to their towns and are sensitive to change,” he says.

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5 things to look for in a luxury apartment development

From a prized location to the perfect layout, every aspect of your future home should leave you awestruck.

Full floor living on the sand.

If you’re in the market for a top end apartment, luxury will no doubt be number one on your list. But what makes a property more prestigious than the rest? What features should you look for to ensure you’re getting nothing but the best?

Whether you want to downsize from your family home to enjoy the good life, or put your feet up in a dream holiday escape, here are five must haves for your future luxury home.

1. A breathtaking location

Truly luxurious living starts with a location that makes you wake up every morning and immediately think, ‘wow’. The ultimate apartment to look for is in an iconic yet boutique building on a sought-after street. It should have architecture that perfectly complements its surroundings in terms of style, colour and form. When you walk inside, a beautiful entrance is an immediate sign that you’re somewhere special. Ideally, your home will be positioned just steps away from a pristine beach, but also just a few more to the very best cosmopolitan cafes, restaurants, cocktail bars, shops and entertainment.

2. Space and privacy 2. Space and privacy

Luxury apartment life is at its finest when you have an entire floor of the Luxury apartment life is at its finest when you have an entire floor of the building to yourself. Once you step out of the lift, you can relax in perfect building to yourself. Once you step out of the lift, you can relax in perfect privacy. privacy. The next thing to look for is a generous floor plan that flows seamlessly from The next thing to look for is a generous floor plan that flows seamlessly from indoors to out. It should start with a welcoming hallway and end in a balcony indoors to out. It should start with a welcoming hallway and end in a balcony with spectacular views. with spectacular views. In between, look for at least three bedrooms with light-filled ensuites and In between, look for at least three bedrooms with light-filled ensuites and a master that has its own Juliet balcony so you can open the doors to the a master that has its own Juliet balcony so you can open the doors to the sunshine. A large walk-in-robe and free-standing bath can be the finishing sunshine. A large walk-in-robe and free-standing bath can be the finishing touches on your blissful sanctuary. touches on your blissful sanctuary. Of course, you’ll want to find a generous living and dining area, an Of course, you’ll want to find a generous living and dining area, an impressive kitchen with a large island bench and a butler’s pantry to make impressive kitchen with a large island bench and a butler’s pantry to make sure entertaining is fuss free. sure entertaining is fuss free.

3. Ultimate appliances 3. Ultimate appliances

There’s no question that when buying the best apartment, you’ll also want There’s no question that when buying the best apartment, you’ll also want the best appliances. the best appliances. European Miele stovetops and ovens make it simple to cook up a storm, while European Miele stovetops and ovens make it simple to cook up a storm, while air conditioning will make sure you’re cool on the warmest of days. air conditioning will make sure you’re cool on the warmest of days. If you like a glass of wine or two, opt for a built-in wine fridge to keep your If you like a glass of wine or two, opt for a built-in wine fridge to keep your collection at just the right temperature all year round. collection at just the right temperature all year round.

4. Quality construction and materials 4. Quality construction and materials

Some buildings might look luxurious from afar, but the real evidence is in the Some buildings might look luxurious from afar, but the real evidence is in the build quality. build quality. At luxury Gold Coast development Dune, architectural firm Rothelowman, At luxury Gold Coast development Dune, architectural firm Rothelowman, developer Andrews Projects and Hutchinson Builders have put fine developer Andrews Projects and Hutchinson Builders have put fine craftsmanship front and centre of the project. craftsmanship front and centre of the project. Suiting the name Dune, the overall image is designed to look like sand that Suiting the name Dune, the overall image is designed to look like sand that has been artistically “whipped up by the wind”. Features such as bronze has been artistically “whipped up by the wind”. Features such as bronze battens bring a unique texture, while sturdy concrete columns and metal battens bring a unique texture, while sturdy concrete columns and metal balustrades offer timeless style. balustrades offer timeless style. Other markers of quality to look for are double-glazed windows, natural Other markers of quality to look for are double-glazed windows, natural timbers and stones, carefully crafted rounded edgings, built-in strip lighting timbers and stones, carefully crafted rounded edgings, built-in strip lighting and plush carpets for comfort. and plush carpets for comfort.

5. First-class amenities 5. First-class amenities

Amazing amenities are the finishing touch to luxurious living. Think infinity Amazing amenities are the finishing touch to luxurious living. Think infinity pools, outdoor yoga spaces, wellness gyms fitted with the latest equipment, as pools, outdoor yoga spaces, wellness gyms fitted with the latest equipment, as well as saunas and hot and cold spas. well as saunas and hot and cold spas. With so many great things, it won’t hurt to add one more – outdoor showers. With so many great things, it won’t hurt to add one more – outdoor showers. You can wash away the sand after a beach swim before jumping on a poolside You can wash away the sand after a beach swim before jumping on a poolside lounge with a book. lounge with a book. If you ever want to leave your haven, make sure you have a stylish beach club If you ever want to leave your haven, make sure you have a stylish beach club right downstairs, where you can drop in for a meal or drinks and catch up right downstairs, where you can drop in for a meal or drinks and catch up with family and friends. with family and friends. This is what residents at Dune will get to enjoy, explains developer Danny This is what residents at Dune will get to enjoy, explains developer Danny Andrews. “We’re bringing a new version of beachfront living,” he says. Andrews. “We’re bringing a new version of beachfront living,” he says. “The attention to detail will be unrivalled to what has been seen on the “The attention to detail will be unrivalled to what has been seen on the Gold Coast before.” Gold Coast before.” Luxury lives here — natural stone finishes with Miele appliances. Luxury lives here — natural stone finishes with Miele appliances. Premier beachfront living with secure basement and private lift entry. Premier beachfront living with secure basement and private lift entry. Unrivalled wellness experience with magnesium pool, spas, sauna and oversized gym. Unrivalled wellness experience with magnesium pool, spas, sauna and oversized gym.

SARAH ANDREWS SARAH ANDREWS 0421 771 430 0421 771 430 DUNEMAINBEACH.COM.AU DUNEMAINBEACH.COM.AU

ARMIDALE 525 Cluny Road, 'Cluny'

Set on 3 acres of gardens and improvements is the wonderful 'Cluny' homestead, accessed via a tree lined driveway off the sealed Cluny Road. 46ha (115 acres) of basalt and granite grazing land in excellent order with body of feed. 5km to Armidale Centre, 1 hour to Tamworth and 10 minutes to Armidale Regional Airport with daily flights. Featuring 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, expansive internal/external living areas, outdoor areas with rural vistas, 10 paddocks, 8 dams and bore, 8 bay stables used by Cobb and Co with tac room and attic, chicken run, machinery shed with separate apartment with views. 'Cluny' has been over 100 years in the making and presents an opportunity for those who seek a lifestyle change.

5 3 5

Auction Wednesday, 9th June at 6:00pm Level 1, 29-33 Bay Street, Double Bay View Contact Agent

David Medina 0419 772 233 James McCowan 0418 800 400

sydneysothebysrealty.com

11 Beachfront Mirage Drive, Port Douglas, QLD, 4877

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Secluded Beachfront Luxury Home

11 Beachfront Mirage Drive is located within the exclusive, gated Beachfront Mirage Estate in Port Douglas. Designed with our tropical climate in mind, the indoor and outdoor spaces blend seamlessly, creating a relaxed holiday atmosphere and making this the perfect retreat for your next escape or permanent escape. Surrounded by lush, tropical gardens, boardwalks and a large heated sparkling blue swimming pool with space to lounge around all complementing the beautiful modern interiors. Comprised of 3 pavilions, the main includes an open plan gourmet kitchen and spacious living area, opening out onto the pool with heated pool spa and outdoor dining areas. Beach access is gained through your own private gate. Upstairs, two identical master bedrooms are accessed by their own staircases. Each includes balconies and stunning en-suite bathrooms overlooking tropical gardens. Two further pavilions contain the third and fourth bedrooms, en suite and laundry. An outdoor BBQ with surrounding seating is a social area to enjoy outdoor cooking and dining. • Completely redesigned by Nathan Verri and elegantly refurbished • 2 minute walk to beach by Jordin Fleming Design • Double lock up garage • Offered on a walk in walk out basis (fully furnished) • Private and secure gated community

To view the video, fl oor plan & more images go to raineandhorne.com.au/portdouglas/properties/11-beachfront-mirage-drive-port-douglas-4877-queensland

For a private inspection, contact David Cotton on 0417 709 667.

David Cotton

46 Seaview Terrace, Sunshine Beach, Queensland, sold for $17 million last year

Prestige Market Update

KAREN DELLOW

Street cred

These are Australia’s most sought-after addresses

The luxury property market proved its resilience in 2020 after a challenging year brought about by a pandemic and a recession. Most premium suburbs experienced positive median price growth with Centennial Park, Clareville and Tamarama, around Sydney, topping the price growth list. The pandemic forced us into a new way of working and, for the first time, we did not have to commute to an office, so living further away from the city became an option.

A combination of search data and house price growth reveals Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, and the Central Coast and Richmond-Tweed, both in NSW, were where property seekers on realestate.com.au wanted to live.

This trend can also be seen in the top 10 most popular streets in luxury suburbs. Mosman makes the list, at number eight, but all other metro Sydney suburbs have been eclipsed by streets in Byron Bay and nearby Broken Head.

Australia’s favourite street in a luxury neighbourhood, based on views per listing on realestate.com.au, is Victoria Avenue, Unley Park, SA. Victoria Avenue is known for its period homes and the beautiful mansion at 4 Victoria Avenue, built around 1912, is the most expensive property ever sold on that street, going for $5.1 million in 2014.

Queensland’s Sunshine Beach, near Noosa Heads, has long been a luxury holiday home destination, and restrictions on travel, especially overseas travel, coupled with low interest rates, increased its popularity in the past 12 months. Seaview Terrace, in the most expensive pocket of Sunshine Beach, is the second most popular street on the list. The most expensive Seaview Terrace sale was last year when No. 46 went for $17 million, although the most expensive property is likely a luxury eco-mansion at No. 17, which reportedly cost $21 million to build in 2019. For a modest $12,570 a night, you can experience the ocean views for yourself.

Two other holiday home favourites are Broken Head, the home of Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth, and Byron Bay, another celebrity hot spot. Owenia Way, Broken Head, is one of the top streets for luxury properties. The most expensive property to sell in recent years is Blackwood House, for $3.8 million in 2018. Chris Hemsworth’s sprawling property on Seven Mile Beach Road is likely the most expensive property in the area, at an estimated $20 million. Neighbouring Byron Bay is a perennial favourite with interstate and overseas vacationers and Broken Head Road is the most popular street based on average views per listing on realestate.com.au. Properties on Broken Head Road are more affordable than those typically found in Byron Bay; the most expensive properties are on Byron’s beachfront or nestled into the hillside above Wategos.

In Western Australia, View Street in Peppermint Grove and Jutland Parade in Dalkieth are in the top five. Both suburbs have a median house price more than six times the Perth median.

And, of course, the blue-chip Melbourne suburbs of Brighton, Toorak and Canterbury make the list. Seacombe Grove in Brighton, Hopetoun Avenue, Canterbury, and Denham Place, Toorak, contain some of Victoria’s most impressive properties.

QUEST FOR THE BEST

the most popular streets

Rank Street Suburb

1 Victoria Ave Unley Park SA 5061 2 Seaview Tce Sunshine Beach Qld 4567 3 Jutland Pde Dalkeith WA 6009

4 Seacombe Gve Brighton VIC 3186 5 View St Peppermint Grove WA 6011 6 Hopetoun Ave Canterbury VIC 3126 7 Denham Pl Toorak VIC 3142

8 Almora St Mosman NSW 2088

9 Owenia Way Broken Head NSW 2481 10 Broken Head Rd Byron Bay NSW 2481

PANORAMIC BAY VIEWS FROM YOUR OWN FRONT DECK!

336 FLINDERS PARADE, BRIGHTON

4 3 4

With outstanding water views and such a convenient loca� on this large family home on 817m2, is simply perfect for those requiring plenty of room for extended family living arrangements, accommoda� ng those Interstate visitors or running a home-based business. The fl oorplan is perfectly designed for ensuring space and privacy for any family dynamic. Upstairs you’ll fi nd four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a massive open-plan living/ dining and kitchen area leading out onto the front deck plus a gorgeous ‘snug’ area - perfect for relaxing with a book or enjoying a morning coff ee whilst admiring the Bay. If absolute waterfront living, enjoying magnifi cent Moreton Bay views every day, has always been a dream of yours, then 336 Flinders Parade, Brighton should defi nitely be considered… Call Karen Prince now on 0437 015 951 to arrange your private inspec� on.

SPECIAL FEATURES :

• Desirable waterfront position • Views that cannot be built out • Large 817m2 block • Low-maintenance brick and colorbond family home • Extensive oorplan - superb for extended families • Huge 3-bay garage at the rear of the property

Inspection: By Private Inspection only

Price: Offers over $1.8 million

Agent: Karen Prince 0437 015 951

ABSOLUTE BEACHFRONT LUXURY

70% SOLD

Nearing completion Agent: Kevin Bostock 0418 125 356

Home & hearth

JONATHAN CHANCELLOR

The beloved AGA at Musk Farm near Daylesford

House warming

The late Melbourne interior designer Stuart Rattle always had an AGA cooker running at his weekender Musk Farm, near Daylesford in Victoria.

“Stuart loved the AGA and called it the heart of the home,” recalls landscaper Paul Bangay, the designer’s friend and colleague, in the 2014 book Stuart Rattle’s Musk Farm by Annemarie Kiely.

“It was always going, even if it was 40 degrees outside,” Bangay says. “As an Anglophile, Rattle swore it was the only real oven to have, adding that anyone who considered themselves a serious cook had to have one.”

Bangay says Rattle, who died in 2013, was “great at designing kitchens because he loved to cook”.

The wood-burning AGA is still in situ at Musk Farm, which was recently placed on the market. The vendors listed it through Belle Daylesford agent Annette Leary for $3.5 million.

The home’s farmhouse-style kitchen also features a marbletopped American oak island bench.

Of course the AGA was not just for cooking, heating the house or keeping the dogs warm overnight.

The world-renowned cooker, which sells for between $12,000 and $30,000 or more, has long been marketed as an aristocrat for the upper-class. But it has its critics. Last month a column by foodie Ameer Kotecha in The Spectator derided the impractical, expensive AGA, querying why anyone would want one.

“For one-pot stews, slow-baked pies and other wintry warmers they are ideal,” he wrote. “But they are the least multicultural of cooking appliances; not only would making a Chinese stir-fry on an AGA feel incongruous, it would be almost impossible as the hotplates would struggle to get your wok hot enough.”

However, octogenarian English foodie Mary Berry, the AGA’s most famous advocate, says owning one is “like joining the best club in the country … when you meet another AGA owner it is like discovering an instant friend.

“I love the warmth and the wonderful welcome. If I had to live without one, I’d loathe it,” Berry wrote in Country Life in 2017.

Once fuelled by coal, most AGA cookers are now powered by gas, oil and electricity, and while they are still made at a foundry in Shropshire in the UK, AGA has introduced new models that permit all the elements to be switched on and off as needed.

Buyers can even control it remotely via a smartphone, a feature that has helped the brand win environmentally-minded millennial converts.

The handcrafted, British cast-iron cookers – invented by Nobel Prize-winning Swedish physicist Dr Gustaf Dalén – celebrate their century next year.

The legendary adman David Ogilvy, who went on to found the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, worked at AGA in the 1930s, where he helped to formulate the marketing promotion of the cooker.

“Heat storage is the oldest known form of cooking,” the campaign stated. “Aborigines bake their hedgehogs in the ashes of a dying fire. The baker’s brick oven has been in use for centuries and is known by most women to be traditionally the perfect oven. The hay-box came into its own during the war.

“But the AGA is not just a glorified hay-box with a fire inside, or a baker’s oven put in a polished case of chromium plate and vitreous enamel. It is the result of applying contemporary scientific knowledge of combustion, metallurgy and nutrition to the accumulated kitchen sense of centuries.”

For its first few decades the AGA was available only in cream, but pale blue, pale green, grey and white arrived in the 1950s, around the same time the chrome-plated lid domes were introduced. The 1970s saw the launch of black, which is still popular. AGA launched its first electric range cooker in 1985. It retained the traditional features but needed no flue.

These days there’s a range of upright cookers in Australian kitchens that are great statement pieces and also provide robust cooking performance, according to Bruce Cranston, product expert at Winning Appliances.

Upright cookers come in different sizes and provide spacious oven capacity for everyday cooking.

“We are noticing increased interest in double oven configurations, with a single oven and a companion product of either a combi-microwave or combination steam oven,” Cranston says. “Combi-steam ovens are becoming increasingly popular and people are getting more curious about the benefits of steam cooking.”

Mansion

BLOOMING GORGEOUS

The joy of floral arrangements

SEEING THE LIGHT

Transforming a period cottage

Floral art LIBBY MOFFET iIt was former US First Lady and conservationist Lady Bird Johnson who coined the phrase, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope”. More than 50 years on, the saying still has resonance, with local florists reporting that Australians have turned to flowers like never before to brighten their homes and support their friends through the trials of COVID-19. “It’s phenomenal how receptive people are to flowers at the moment,” says leading creative florist Saskia Havekes. Her Grandiflora studio in Sydney’s Potts Point has seen longer, more intense messages being sent with flowers since the pandemic struck. “It’s just a very sound way of showing affection and appreciation,” she says. According to Havekes, there’s now strong demand for foliage, with In full bloom We’re going crazy for colourful flowers, natives and beautiful foliage to brighten our lives and bring a sense of hope and joyi

her studio creating large arrangements in different tones of green, featuring beautifully shaped leaves such as camellia and magnolia, as well as large tropical leaves, green hydrangea and other verdant offerings including lemons on branches.

“People are really responding to that – I think there’s a newness and a freshness in having green around you. It just makes people feel calm, so we’ve found it’s been very popular.”

Australian natives also have a massive profile at the moment, says Havekes, who recalls that natives were a “hard sell” when she first opened Grandiflora in 1996.

“People are much, much more interested in our native flowers, which is really exciting – we’re stronger in our national identity now and we’re very proud of it. We can’t buy enough of them.”

Among the most popular natives are flowering eucalyptus and banksias as well as gumnuts, which Havekes says seem to strike a special chord with Australians who grew up with May Gibbs’ tales about the gumnut babies, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.

There’s also a trend towards a combination of displays in the home, such as a big vase of tropical leaves and smaller specimen vases of orchids or tulips, enabling their beauty to be better observed.

According to Havekes, there’s now more appreciation of rare flowers. “When I first started at the shop, we’d be doing flowers for famous people and sending 500 stems of, say, red roses or white roses –the volume was the thing that impressed people.

“Now I have suppliers who will send me a beautiful box with the most exquisite leaves and four or five beautiful cattleya orchids. And if Madonna or Nicole Kidman came to Australia, that’s what I would send them because it’s just so precious.”

Havekes says cut flowers continue to be in demand for homes, with a vase filled with one type of flower such as dark tulips and David Austin roses proving popular. Hydrangeas and peonies are also in vogue.

While dried flowers have been on trend in recent years, Havekes uses them very selectively, and now sees people leaning towards more uplifting greens and fresh blooms.

“We also get requests for scented flowers all the time – I think people’s tastes are really refined at the moment and they really want that interaction with the natural,” she says.

Melbourne florist Steven Maccora also reports a swing to a more natural feel among his clients, with some even asking him to cut something from their gardens to incorporate in his creations for their homes.

“A lot of people I work with are starting to like a look that appears as if it has been thrown together by them. It has a garden feeling, as opposed to ‘my house is so grand I want it to be like a hotel foyer’,” Maccora says. In preference to an oversized arrangement, people are filling multiple gorgeous small ceramic vases with flowers, he says. There’s also demand for foliage such as copper beech and maple, styled in an abstract way.

Maccora, whose studio Le Salon aux Fleurs is in Armadale, says he’s never been busier, thanks to Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdowns. “Most of the people I deal with would have been in Europe from June to September normally, but they were all at home and sending flowers.

“Throughout COVID, sending flowers just became the trend –people would give me a list of the friends they wanted to cheer up and would ask me to make something bright and natural-looking for them.”

Maccora has observed a shift towards coloured flowers, with yellow and orange tones on the rise, along with the popular dark mauves, crimsons, reds and pinks. “During COVID, all of a sudden people who used to like just one colour, or all white, wanted colour in their houses. They wanted to be brightened up and they’re sticking with it now.”

In Brisbane, floral creator Nicole Cooper says her Fortitude Valleybased studio Stem Design is seeing strong demand for foliage.

“Ninety per cent of home deliveries are foliage based at the moment, not floral at all,” Cooper says. “It’s that kind of un-puttogether look, where it’s like they’ve just gone into their garden and they’ve cut the foliage and brought it into their house.”

Cooper says local tropical leaves such as ginger are popular, alongside maple and olive leaves from the southern states.

Like Maccora, she reports a move away from white flowers, and says nude and peach tones are big in the Brisbane market, while natives are also in demand.

She also feels the dried flower trend is on the way out. “I think people want life … they want to be connected with nature again.”

Mansion asked Saskia Havekes and Steven Maccora to each create a display within a $250 budget to showcase the latest floral trends. Havekes crafted a display for a kitchen bench using fruiting olive, organic lemons on branches, apple-green hydrangea, lemon sunflowers, fruticosa balls, green trachelium and ligularia leaf. “Kitchens always lend themselves to a natural field-collected look, plucked from the garden. Anything that relates to food works well in this area, with simplicity,” she says. For his creation for a hallway table, Maccora, opposite, used orange parrot tulips, white delphinium, orange dahlias and montbretia berry. “I wanted to create a display that looked like it was picked out of an English garden – not too structured, but as though the gardener would have collected them in his hand.”

NIKKI SHORT